𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐓 𝐓𝐄𝐀 ✔︎ (ongoing)

|14| landing

The plane ride takes longer than I thought. I'm bored within an hour, but not bored enough to sigh and regret boarding the plane.

We're on the first class plane with flight attendants serving us little sweets, snacks and drinks every ten minutes.

Halfway through the flight, a flight attendant brings down a trolley with three different meals for us to choose from: chicken, beef and fish.

I order a chicken meal and receive a hot, foil plate filled with rice and chicken curry with peas and carrots swimming in the bubbling sauce. With the meal, they also give us bread and cheese spread, a tub of yoghurt, a sample of dark chocolate, a packaged slice of currant cake and a cup of juice.

Every passenger has a small screen in front of them with headphones included where you can stream movies or a TV series, but about halfway through watching a movie, I realise I'm not even concentrating; the butterflies that were fluttering in my stomach have turned into pestering creepy crawlies, threatening to add more tension to my frazzled nerves.

However, all the bad energy within me is immediately sucked out when I look out of the window while the plane is landing. It's about eleven, fully dark, but the bright lights and vivid colours of the hustling city create a vibrant night.

My mouth opens in delight when we reach the ground as I exchange smiles with Sam.

I am expecting we would be straight outdoors when we leave the plane, but instead, we're inside an airport as soon as we get out.

A sharp air hits me, causing my drooping eyes to fully open. When I look around, I notice everyone is tired; Sam is yawning, Marina's clinging on to Sara, and Abdel and Aya are slowly strolling behind us, dragging their small suitcases sluggishly.

We go past a few checkpoints and we receive the large suitcases that were too big to be taken with us on the plane: Marina's and Sara's massive ones.

After converting the UK money currency into Moroccan Dirhams, we finally leave the airport.

When we leave, I notice a bright full moon in the middle of scattering stars, casting a magical glow on the beautiful palm trees softly swaying in the cool night air.

The air seems different here than back in England; fresh, clean and crystal clear, whilst England's air is stale and heavy like a suffocating blanket.

We all sit on a bench in front of a water fountain surrounded by rose bushes and palm trees, taking in the atmosphere.

"My cousin should be here any minute now," Abdel says while we're all resting. "He'll drive us home." He looks at me, Sam and Marina in turns. "I just want to let you know that we have a very big family, so I'm afraid you won't get any peace or quiet tonight. It's a big house owned by my parents but tonight, all my brothers, sisters, cousins and their children as well will be there. We'll have a magnificent feast and a party, celebrating our arrival. They will, for sure, welcome you and treat you like the rest."

I nod, taking this all in. I'm actually quite excited. It'll be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, learning about a brand new culture and looking at a different family tradition.

"I'm so excited," Marina squeals. She's shivering even though she's wearing a huge, fluffy fur coat.

"I'm not. I feel like I'd be barging into your family privacy," Sam says.

"Oh no, no, no! Never think that! Moroccans are very warm to foreigners, especially my family. I can imagine them being happy to have you," Abdel explains, exchanging a sweet smile with Aya.

I chuckle. "I really can't wait."

Just then, a tall man in his twenties with curly hair and the same skin as Sara's appears from out of nowhere, jumping up and down like a child.